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Jack Kingston loses GOP Senate runoff to David Perdue

Kingston

FILE - This May 20, 2014, file photo shows Georgia Republican Senate candidate, David Perdue speaking to supporters at a primary election night party in Atlanta. Perdue, the cousin of former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, faces Rep. Jack Kingston in a GOP runoff July 22 in a race being watched nationally as Republicans seek to take control of the Senate. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

ATLANTA — David Perdue squeaked to the lead in the Republican Senate runoff Tuesday over Jack Kingston in the race to succeed Saxby Chambliss.

Perdue had 50.71 percent to Kingston’s 49.29 percent at 11 p.m. when Kingston conceded. The difference was just 6,000 votes out of 480,000 tallied by then.

Voters said they were fed up with the situation in Washington and wanted a change. Perdue, a political newcomer convinced them he was better able to bring change than Kingston, a 22-year veteran of Congress.

Perdue won the May 20 primary, with Kingston coming in second out of seven candidates, locking them into a nine-week runoff in which they bludgeoned each other with negative ads with the assistance of well-financed political-action committees.

“You know, these intramural scrimmages are no fun,” Perdue quipped to supporters. “You beat up on your teammate, and then you’ve got to go into the locker room and talk to ‘em again. But I want to tell you, they make you better.”

Kingston, an 11-term congressman from Savannah, played up his long allegiance to the Republican Party and his endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association and other groups.

If Kingston counted on his political experience, Perdue counted on his position as a Washington outsider.

Perdue is the former chief executive officer of Dollar General and Reebok, whose career took him all over the globe. He argued that he would bring fresh ideas to Washington.

“David offered voters a clear alternative to the typical politicians,” said his spokesman Derrick Dickey. “As a political outsider and first-time candidate, his message resonated with voters who are fed up with business as usual in Washington.”

For voters, the choice was complicated by the candidates’ similar positions on the issues and an endless assault of negative ads.

“I had to pick the lesser one because there was so much on television,” said Lucy Graves of Newnan who wound up checking the box beside Perdue’s name. “Besides, we need to get a change in Washington.”

Deborah Corbett, another voter at the same precinct, saw the similarities in a different light.

“Both candidates seemed like nice guys,” she said, adding that she also ultimately picked Perdue. “Kingston has had his chance. He’s talking now about all the things he could have done during 22 years in Congress.”

Kingston told supporters that when he called Perdue to concede he had a simple message for the victor about the general election.

“Don’t call me. I’m on your team,” Kingston recounted. “This is so much bigger than David Perdue or Jack Kingston. It is about taking over the U.S. Senate and turning America around.”

Wednesday morning will be the first day of the general-election campaign where the eventual GOP nominee will immediately shift his sights from attacking his fellow Republican to blasting Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn. She’ll be fighting back, and both sides will have large financial commitments from political-action committees.

“I don’t take our opponent lightly,” Perdue said. “I respect Michelle Nunn. I respect her work. I respect her family. But with my business career, I will prosecute the failed record of the last six years.”

Chambliss congratulated Perdue and ended his neutrality in the race to hold his seat for the Republican Party.

“Now that the primary is over, I urge all Republicans to unite behind David Perdue,” he said. “In order for Congress to stop President Obama’s power grab and fix our country’s most pressing issues, we must fire (Senate Democratic Leader) Harry Reid and return the Senate to Republican control.”

But with a third candidate in that race, Libertarian Amanda Swafford, there is a chance that voters could be subjected to another nine-week runoff this fall just like the one completed Tuesday.